From veterans to rookies, male lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party sliced tomatoes, grilled salmon and fried chicken as they exemplified ways in which husbands can share in household duties during a political event on Wednesday promoting female participation in the workplace.
The event, organized by a group of LDP lawmakers campaigning for greater female empowerment, saw party heavyweights such as Hakubun Shimomura and Hiroyuki Hosoda picking up kitchen skills from a cooking expert as they struggled to make basic dishes such as karaage, or deep-fried chicken.
The event is part of a broader attempt by the government to encourage men in Japan — where the mentality of "men at work, women at home" still runs deep — to step out of their comfort zones and proactively participate in child-rearing and household responsibilities. It also aims to back up Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's much-hyped goal of creating a society "where all women can shine."